Examples of Inquiry Questions

http://www.vcaa.vic.edu.au/Documents/auscurric/progressionpoints/AusVELS-ScienceProgressionPoints.pdf

Progression Points F.5 1.5

F.5
Examples of suitable inquiry questions
include:
How are human adults different from
human babies?
How are dogs similar to/different from
cats?
How are ligers similar to/different from
tigers and lions?
How does the skin of fish feel
different to the skin of penguins?
Cats? Chickens?
How can sound be described?
What does water look like?
How can light be described?
Does everyone describe a single object
in the same way?
Why is accurate observation important
when describing materials or objects?
How are the needs of pet dogs similar
to, and different from, the needs of pet
fish?
How can plants be looked after during
times of drought or water restrictions?

VCAA December 2012

Level 1
Examples of suitable inquiry questions
include:
In which situations is it better to sort
objects on the basis of colour rather
than size?
In which situations is it better to sort
objects on the basis of size rather than
colour?
Why is sorting important?
How do you sort your toys?
How would a blind person sort and
identify their clothes?
What makes sounds change?
Which keeps food fresher, paper or
plastic?
What happens to the texture and
flavour of a jelly when it is cooled at
different rates?
Do all fish drink and breathe in the
same way?
How can different fish be sorted into
groups, and why would it be useful for
us to sort them into groups?

1.5
Examples of suitable inquiry questions include:
What materials can be used to construct a
home-made piano/guitar/flute?
How do the materials in the clothes worn on a
hot day differ from the materials in the clothes
worn on a rainy day?
Can a woollen jumper be re-woven to create a
summer outfit?
Can paper be used to make a raincoat?
Are different types of clouds associated with
different weather?
How do the seasons affect what we eat and
what we do, and how can we make changes to
do things out of season?
How can paints be made from natural ochres
and plant materials, and how are they affected
by sunlight?
Are scale patterns in fish related to swim speed?
What if an octopus had to live where a
shark/eel/penguin lives?
How does the colour, shape and texture of a
fishs skin help it to live in its habitat?
What if humans had fins?

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Examples of Inquiry Questions

Progression Points 2.5 3.5
2.5
Level 3
3.5
Examples of suitable inquiry questions include:
Examples of suitable inquiry questions include:
Examples of suitable inquiry questions
include:
Does watering seedlings with soda water
What type of shoe sole grips the best on
Should new roads be built through
affect their growth?
different surfaces?
native bushland?
How do the life cycles of plants compare
What proportion of the dinners you eat in a
with the life cycle of animals?
week rely on cooking or freezing?
What safety measures are taken in
summer during controlled burning
If you consider the seven general features
Can you make an anti-gravity toy?
activities?
of living things, can fire be classified as a
Which materials should be used, and how can
Should there be a limit to how fast cars
living thing?
they be combined, to build a nest or a birdbox
can travel?
How does a sundial work? How do
to meet the needs of a native bird?
aeroplanes fly?
Should living things or chemicals be
Are fertilisers and pesticides always beneficial?
introduced into ecosystems to control
How does a compost heap/garden change
Do all plants grow better in greenhouses?
population growth of selected animals
over time?
How can the stages in the life cycles of plants
and/or plants?
Can chocolate be continuously heated and
and animals be manipulated to promote
What personal actions can be taken to
cooled without affecting its taste, colour
species survival?
reduce, reuse and recycle materials and
or texture?
How do flotation devices work?
how can the effectiveness of these
What temperatures and light conditions
How can an understanding of friction help
actions be measured?
enable propagation and growth of plants?
sports shoe designers to develop shoes that
How can we save water at school and
How are buildings kept cool in summer
grip?
at home?
and warm in winter?
How can an understanding of heating and
How can a device be constructed to
How are chocolate-covered sweets
cooling as well as mixing of solids and liquids
keep things hot/cold?
manufactured?
help chefs create new foods from starting
Which flotation devices are most
Can the weather be predicted accurately?
ingredients?
effective and how can they be
How is revegetation and the restoration of
Does the speed of cooling affect the texture of
improved?
animal habitats managed after a bushfire?
jellies, ice creams and toffees?
How can magnets be used to construct
How can erosion due to wind or tides be
Does the same type of fertiliser work equally
toys?
minimised?
well for growing tomato seedlings as for
How does sea litter affect the survival
sprouting bean shoots?
of sea creatures?
How is pollution measured and controlled?
VCAA December 2012

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Examples of Inquiry Questions

Progression Points 4.5 5.5
4.5
Examples of suitable inquiry questions
include:
Why is Pluto no longer classified as a
planet?
Is the mould that grows on
wholemeal bread different from the
mould that grows on other types of
breads?
How can electric circuits be wired to
construct a burglar alarm or to light
up a model dolls house?
In what ways are the three primary
pigment colours similar to/different
from the seven primary light colours?
How has the invention of the cochlear
implant been an improvement on the
use of hearing aids?
How would life be different if hearing
or sight is suddenly lost, and how
could the other senses be used to
compensate?
How has William Farrers work on
disease-resistant wheat strains
impacted on Australian crop yields?

VCAA December 2012

Level 5
5.5
Examples of suitable inquiry questions include:
Examples of suitable inquiry questions include:
Does mould grow faster in the dark?
How do bionic eyes work?
How could the features of a fish be changed
How far away can telescopes see?
so that it could live in both water and on
What types of microscopes are there, and
land?
how small are the objects that can be seen?
How are minerals extracted from their
How would the introduction of a solarores?
powered scarecrow affect ecosystem
Is it possible for a meteor to strike and
relationships?
destroy Earth?
What causes ocean acidification and what
How is water/air quality affected by human
impact will it have on ocean/terrestrial
activities?
ecosystems?
How do glasses help people to see better,
How can efficiencies of wind turbines, solar
and how do different laser eye surgery
panels, biogas generators and/or
techniques work to improve vision?
geothermal energy converters be improved,
and how viable are they as alternatives to
How can we build more sensitive motionfossil fuels for electricity generation?
detectors?
Are some laser eye surgery methods safer
How can the water cycle be manipulated so
than others?
that arid environments may have greater
access to clean water?
How did Copernicus convince others that
the solar system is heliocentric rather than
What adaptations enable extremophiles
geocentric?
found in volcanoes or at the bottom of the
ocean to survive in their environments?
How can electrical circuits be wired up in a
How can sustainable fishing be promoted?
model house to switch on lights selectively?
How does increasing water temperature
Which form of alternative energy would
affect the solubility of different substances,
best replace the use of energy derived from
and what impact could this have on marine
fossil fuels in a given location?
life?
How can rusting be prevented or slowed?

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Examples of Inquiry Questions

Progression Points 6.5 7.5
6.5
Examples of suitable inquiry questions include:
What is the role of decomposers in an
ecosystem?
Which simple machines can be identified
in everyday objects and appliances?
Where are proteins, carbohydrates and
lipids processed in the digestive system?
In what ways are plant and animal cells
similar/different?
How do aeroplanes get airborne? What is
rust?
What is the difference between a rock and
a mineral?
Is recycled water safe to drink?
Should hybrid cars replace conventional
petrol-powered cars?
What is the best material to use for a
particular purpose?
How can classification keys be modified to
accommodate the discovery of a new
animal or plant species?

VCAA December 2012

Level 7
7.5
Examples of suitable inquiry questions include: Examples of suitable inquiry questions include:
What impact does extinction of a species
How does urbanisation impact on
have on food web relationships and
ecosystems?
populations?
How does (a selected) disease affect
How can two or more simple machines
body systems, and how is it treated?
be connected to produce a working
How does the respiratory system
object?
respond to changes in exercise levels?
How is structure related to function in
Are some fad diets more dangerous
the organs within the digestive system?
than others?
How does changing wingspan shape/size
How can the rusting of iron alloys be
affect aircraft flight?
slowed?
Is rusting slower in water or air?
What difference has recycling made to
How are soils formed from rocks and
the availability of natural resources?
minerals?
How can soil quality be improved?
How have tennis racquet structures and
How do different methods used to
materials changed over time, and how
control rabbit plagues in Australian
has performance improved as a result?
agricultural areas compare?
How do structural modifications to
Which techniques for treating oil spills
parachutes affect their performance in
are most effective?
different weather conditions?
How do different sewage treatment
How have developments in seat belts and
methods compare in terms of outputs
safety helmets impacted on
and water quality?
rider/driver/passenger safety?
How could you design a more energy How have improvements in the design of
efficient house?
microscopes led to a better
understanding of how disease is caused
and spread, and can be treated?

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Examples of Inquiry Questions

Progression Points 8.5 9.5
8.5
Examples of suitable inquiry questions include:
Is nature more important than nurture
in the way that humans look and behave?
How do circuit elements such as diodes,
resistors and capacitors affect circuit
functionality?
Which chemical reactions are involved
when vehicle airbags are deployed and
how safe are they?
What are the physical and chemical
properties of a high quality chocolate,
and how can synchrotron science be used
to develop a high quality chocolate?
How does brain imaging assist in physical
rehabilitation after accident or illness, and
how has it been used in developing
theories about improving learning and
memory?

VCAA December 2012

Level 9
9.5
Examples of suitable inquiry questions include:
Examples of suitable inquiry questions include:
How can pedigree charts be used to
How reliable is genetic counselling?
determine the nature of genetic diseases?
Does the practice of bringing indoor
Do circuits in parallel or in series produce
plants into a hospital ward during the
brighter light?
day and taking it outside during the night
have any merit?
Which forces are involved in the use of
vehicle airbags and restraints to prevent
Is the colour of a vehicle directly related
or minimise injury during collisions?
to the probability of being involved in a
collision?
How are metals extracted from their ores?
How does temperature affect the rate of
Are nanoparticles the new asbestos?
electroplating?
What are some of the potential uses of
How does the type of electrode used
nanobots in medicine?
affect the amount of product obtained
How do epidemics and pandemics arise,
during electroplating?
and how are they controlled?
How do astrobiologists determine
Are medical X-rays safe?
whether there is life in outer space, and
What are the most effective materials and
is it worth funding such research?
design requirements for building energy
How can alternative energies be made
efficient housing or to construct housing
more viable?
in hazard-prone zones?

What would be needed for personal

Can humans live in space?
space travel to become a reality?

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Examples of Inquiry Questions

Beyond Level 10
10.5
Examples of suitable inquiry questions include:
How do theoretical and actual yields of copper
from its ore compare when using different
extraction methods?
How can the freezing of water be modelled to
represent the nature of the intramolecular
forces of attraction and repulsion?
How have IVF technologies affected the
human gene pool?
How do the materials used in traditional and
contemporary buildings in specific climates
compare in terms of energy efficiency and
minimisation of resource usage?
What is the capacity for alternative non-fossil
fuel energy sources meeting the needs of
current and future societies?
Is antibiotic resistance a problem in society?
What impact have green chemistry principles
had in industry and how can they be applied in
school laboratories?

VCAA December 2012

11.5
Examples of suitable inquiry questions include:
Are there global patterns over time in the
occurrence of earthquakes and tsunamis?
What difference would a 20% reduction in
anthropogenic greenhouse gases make to
predictions of ocean acidification?
What causes deciduous trees to change leaf colour,
and how does the chemical nature of the pigments
in the green leaves compare with the chemical
nature of the pigments in the coloured leaves?
What are the environmental implications of
strategies and legislation aimed at reducing
greenhouse gas emissions caused by transport of
people and/or goods at local and international
levels?
How are safe levels of pollutants or
pharmaceuticals determined?
What proportion of scientific research efforts and
funding should be allocated to development of
renewable versus non-renewable energy
technologies?
How would an endangered species population be
affected by selective culling of predators or a change
in environmental conditions?
How is stopping distance related to the slope of a
surface?

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